50 Things to Get Rid of Before You Move
If you’re getting ready to move, there’s one rule worth remembering:
Don’t pay to move things you don’t actually want.
Every item you take with you has to be sorted, packed, carried out of your old home, transported, carried into your new home, unpacked, and eventually put away.
That’s a lot of effort for a chipped coffee mug you haven’t used in six years.
Before you start filling moving boxes, spend some time getting rid of the things you already know you don’t need.
If you’re not sure where to begin, here’s a list of 50 things to get rid of before you move.
Grab a few trash bags, donation boxes, and a marker and let’s get started.
Kitchen
The kitchen is a great place to begin because it contains plenty of things that don’t require emotional decisions.
1. Expired Food
Check your pantry, cabinets, refrigerator, and freezer.
Throw away anything expired or no longer safe to eat.
There’s absolutely no reason to pack a can of soup that expired two years ago.
2. Food You Know You Won’t Eat
We’ve all bought something with good intentions only to discover nobody in the house likes it.
If it’s unopened and hasn’t expired, consider donating it to a local food shelf if they accept it.
3. Expired Spices
Go through your spice cabinet.
While dried spices don’t necessarily become unsafe immediately after their best-by dates, they lose flavor and potency over time.
If you can’t remember the last time you used something, decide whether it deserves space in your new kitchen.
4. Food Storage Containers Without Lids
Match your containers and lids.
No lid?
No container.
And yes, this may finally be the moment to confront the drawer where plastic lids have apparently been reproducing independently for years.
5. Chipped or Cracked Dishes
You don’t need to carefully wrap and transport damaged plates, bowls, and mugs.
Get rid of anything chipped, cracked, or unsafe to use.
6. Duplicate Kitchen Utensils
How many spatulas does one household realistically need?
Keep your favorites and donate usable duplicates.
7. Kitchen Gadgets You Never Use
Bread maker.
Avocado slicer.
Mini waffle maker.
Specialty popcorn contraption.
Whatever it is, if you haven’t used it in years, ask yourself whether you’re really going to use it in your new home.
8. Old Water Bottles and Travel Cups
Pick your favorites.
Recycle or donate the ones nobody reaches for.
You probably don’t need an entire cabinet devoted to promotional water bottles.
9. Excess Coffee Mugs
Coffee mugs seem to appear out of nowhere.
Keep the ones you love and let some of the others go.
10. Worn-Out Dish Towels
Stained, ripped, or threadbare towels don’t need to make the move.
Use them for cleaning during moving week and then retire them.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are another fantastic place for quick decluttering wins.
11. Expired Makeup
Go through your makeup and toss anything that’s expired, dried out, smells strange, or has changed texture.
12. Old Skincare Products
That serum you tried twice and didn’t like?
You don’t need to move it.
13. Hair Products You Don’t Use
If a shampoo, conditioner, mousse, spray, or styling cream didn’t work for you, stop storing it.
14. Hotel Toiletries
If you’ve accumulated a giant collection of tiny shampoos and soaps, decide which ones you’ll realistically use.
Consider donating unopened products to an organization that accepts them.
15. Worn-Out Towels
Keep the towels you actually use.
Old towels may be useful for cleaning during the move, and some animal shelters accept towel donations.
16. Old Hair Tools
Broken hair dryers, curling irons you replaced years ago, and straighteners that barely work can go.
Recycle electronics appropriately when possible.
17. Nearly Empty Products
Moving is a great excuse to finish partially used toiletries.
Use them during the weeks leading up to your move instead of packing five bottles with one inch of product left in each.
Bedroom and Closet
This category can eliminate a surprising number of moving boxes.
18. Clothes That Don’t Fit
If something hasn’t fit for years and you don’t have a specific reason for keeping it, consider donating it.
19. Clothes You Don’t Like Wearing
Maybe it fits.
Maybe it’s technically cute.
But every time you put it on, you take it right back off.
That’s your answer.
20. Uncomfortable Shoes
Life is too short for shoes that hurt your feet.
21. Worn-Out Underwear and Socks
Moving is the perfect time to toss stretched-out, ripped, or worn-out basics.
22. Old Pajamas
Keep the comfortable ones you actually wear.
You probably don’t need every oversized T-shirt you’ve acquired since college.
23. Broken Jewelry
If you’re genuinely going to repair it, set it aside to be repaired.
Otherwise, it’s time to decide whether it’s worth keeping.
24. Handbags You Never Use
Keep the bags you love and actually carry.
Sell or donate the rest.
25. Wire Hangers
If you’re switching to matching or space-saving hangers in your new home, don’t move hundreds of old wire hangers.
Check whether a local dry cleaner will take them.
Linen Closet
Don’t underestimate how much space linens consume.
26. Sheets for Beds You No Longer Own
Still storing twin sheets even though nobody has slept in a twin bed for five years?
You probably don’t need them.
27. Sheets You Don’t Like
Scratchy sheets aren’t going to become more comfortable after you move.
28. Old Pillows
Flattened, stained, or uncomfortable pillows can go.
29. Extra Blankets You Never Use
Keep your favorites and a reasonable number of extras.
Donate usable blankets where accepted.
30. Tablecloths That Don’t Fit Your Table
If you’re not using them and they don’t work with your current or future furniture, let them go.
Kids’ and Teens’ Rooms
If your children are old enough, let them participate in this process.
Their belongings may hold meaning that isn’t obvious to you.
31. Outgrown Clothes
Donate, sell, or pass them along.
32. Outgrown Shoes
Kids’ shoes can multiply surprisingly quickly.
Check closets, entryways, sports bags, and under beds.
33. Broken Toys
If it’s broken beyond reasonable repair, don’t move it.
34. Toys They’ve Outgrown
Let kids choose toys they’d like another child to enjoy.
35. Games With Missing Pieces
If the game can’t actually be played anymore, there’s little reason to move it.
36. Old School Papers
You don’t need every spelling test and worksheet your child has ever completed.
Keep special projects, artwork, report cards, or meaningful pieces and recycle the rest.
37. Dried-Out Art Supplies
Test markers.
Check glue.
Throw away dried-out paint.
Get rid of tiny broken crayons unless your household actually uses them for projects.
Living Areas
Now take a look around the spaces everyone uses.
38. Books You Won’t Read Again
Keep favorites and books you genuinely intend to read.
Donate the rest to libraries, schools, Little Free Libraries, or organizations that accept them.
39. Old Magazines and Catalogs
Recycle them.
You’re not going to read that magazine from 2018 after you move.
40. DVDs and CDs You No Longer Use
If your household has gone primarily digital, decide whether your physical media collection still makes sense.
Keep favorites and sentimental items if you want them.
41. Mystery Cords
You know the ones.
Nobody knows what they charge.
Nobody knows where they came from.
Everyone is afraid to throw them away.
Try to identify them. If the device is long gone, the cord probably doesn’t need to move with you.
42. Broken Electronics
Old phones, tablets, computers, printers, and other electronics should be properly recycled rather than thrown in household trash.
Moving is a good time to finally deal with that box of obsolete technology.
43. Decor You Don’t Love Anymore
Your new home is a fresh start.
You don’t have to decorate it with things you stopped liking years ago.
Sell or donate usable decor that no longer fits your style.
Garage, Basement and Storage
Brace yourself.
This is where things get interesting.
44. Dried-Out Paint
If you’re leaving paint for the next homeowner, clearly label it.
Otherwise, dispose of unwanted paint according to your local hazardous-waste requirements.
45. Broken Tools
If it’s broken and you aren’t going to repair it, don’t move it.
46. Sports Equipment Nobody Uses
Old golf clubs, forgotten exercise equipment, outgrown skates, unused camping gear, and abandoned hobbies can take up a lot of space.
Sell or donate usable equipment.
47. Empty Product Boxes
You probably don’t need the box your television came in seven years ago.
Or the blender box.
Or the laptop box.
Or the phone box.
Keep packaging only when there’s a legitimate reason.
48. Holiday Decorations You Never Put Out
If you’ve skipped the same decorations for the past several holidays, you probably don’t love them anymore.
Keep the decorations that make you happy and donate the rest.
49. Furniture That Won’t Fit in Your New Home
Measure your new space before moving day.
If you already know a giant cabinet, desk, sofa, or table won’t work, sell or donate it before the move.
Don’t pay someone to transport furniture you’ll immediately need to get rid of.
50. Boxes You Haven’t Opened Since Your Last Move
Finally, we have the boxes.
You know exactly which ones I’m talking about.
They were packed during your last move.
They went directly into the basement, attic, or garage.
And they’ve remained sealed ever since.
Open them.
You may discover something important.
You may discover something sentimental.
Or you may discover you’ve been storing and transporting things you haven’t needed in a decade.
Either way, it’s time to make the decision.
What Should You Do With Everything You’re Getting Rid Of?
Decluttering doesn’t mean everything goes into the trash.
As you work through this list, separate items into categories:
- Donate
- Sell
- Recycle
- Trash
- Give to friends or family
Check local rules before disposing of electronics, medications, paint, chemicals, batteries, and other items that may require special handling.
For things you’re selling, give yourself a deadline.
If you’re moving in three weeks, this probably isn’t the time to list 75 items individually and spend every evening negotiating with strangers online.
Sell the things that are genuinely worth selling.
Donate the rest.
Get Donations Out of the House
Once you fill a donation box, move it out of your main living space.
Better yet, put it directly in your vehicle so you can drop it off the next time you’re out.
The longer donation piles stay in the house, the greater the chance someone starts pulling things back out.
The goal is to make things leave.
Use Up What You Can Before Moving Day
Not everything needs to be thrown away or donated.
Some things just need to be used.
In the weeks before moving, make it a game to use up:
- Frozen food
- Pantry ingredients
- Cleaning products
- Toiletries
- Paper products
- Open containers
- Laundry supplies
You’ll save money and have fewer things to pack.
Don’t Declutter Other People’s Belongings Without Them
This is especially important when moving with kids and teens.
That random stuffed animal may mean nothing to you and everything to your child.
The same goes for a partner’s collections, hobby supplies, clothing, or keepsakes.
You can encourage everyone in the household to declutter.
You can give them boxes.
You can give them deadlines.
But whenever possible, let people make decisions about their own belongings.
You Don’t Have to Become a Minimalist
The goal of decluttering before moving isn’t to fit your entire life into three cardboard boxes.
Keep your Christmas decorations.
Keep the ridiculous coffee mug that makes you laugh.
Keep your grandmother’s dishes.
Keep your child’s artwork.
Keep the books you adore.
Keep the things that make your house feel like your house.
You’re simply removing the things that no longer serve a purpose in your life.
Because the best question to ask before putting something into a moving box is:
“Do I actually want to make space for this in my new home?”
If the answer is no, don’t pack it.
Your future self—standing in your new home surrounded by significantly fewer boxes—will thank you.
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